(ChattahBox)—The Massachusetts special election for the senate seat of the late Ted Kennedy is providing plenty of drama and heartburn for Democrats, as the fledgling Republican tea party candidate has climbed from a deficit of 30 points to come within striking distance of the Democrat, in a traditional liberal New England state. Republican Scott Brown, a former Cosmo model, is nearly in a dead heat according to the most recent poll, with Democratic candidate Martha Coakley, the state attorney general. How this scenario could possibly occur in Massachusetts, the home of the Kennedy political dynasty and a dependable liberal enclave, is shocking to Democrats. And it’s due to a variety of factors, including an angry and scared electorate during a deep recession, an high unemployment rate and the lackluster “dial it in” political campaign of Martha Coakley. Whatever the results after the vote on Tuesday, this election should serve as a warning to Democrats in the upcoming 2010 mid-term elections, not to pull a “Coakley” and take their chances of winning for granted. Every single election in November is going to be a dog fight in the trenches, to overcome “incumbent-itis”

According to a recent Suffolk University poll, Brown had a slight lead of 4 points over Coakley, at the edge of the margin of error, putting the two in a dead heat.

There is a lot at stake in this election. Martha Coakley would provide the crucial 60th vote in the senate for the passage of the health care reform bill and other Obama initiatives. Brown has promised to kill the health care bill, if elected, and join fellow Republicans in a filibuster.

Coakley’s poor campaign has led Democrats to take an “all hands on deck” approach to travel to Massachusetts to save her campaign and the health care reform bill. President Obama released an online video on Thursday speaking of the urgency of the special election for Ted Kennedy’s seat. Obama also recorded an automated phone message, to make an appeal to voters over the weekend. During the call, Obama apologizes for the intrusion, but says he needed to speak out because the stakes are high. “She’ll be your voice and my ally,” said Obama.

And Kennedy’s widow, Vicki issued an email appeal to voters, raising much-needed cash for Coakley. On Friday, Vicky Kennedy released a TV ad pleading with voters to vote for Coakley, to allow her late husband’s work on health care to become a reality.

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry is now lending a land and former President Bill Clinton is making an appearance to energize Massashusetts voters for Coakley.

Coakley’s campaign has finally awakened from its slumber and she has started to air attack ads against Brown. And Coakley is finally meeting in person with voters, acknowledging their anger and discontent:

“I know that voters are angry; they are upset, they are worried about losing their jobs, they are worried about losing their homes, and they’re worried about where the economy’s going. I am, too,” Coakley said at a recent appearance at a senior center. “But I think it’s wrong for the people who caused the problem in the first place to pretend they’re the ones who will clean it up,” she said.

And that meme should have been the crux of her campaign from the get go.

Meanwhile, boatloads of outside tea party money is pouring into the state to support Brown, as they realize he definitely has a chance at a stunning upset. Why Massachusetts voters would vote for a Republican tea party candidate is a mystery, regardless of Coakley’s poor campaign. If the Democratic majority in the Senate falls below 60 members, before the mid-term elections; the obstructionist Republican Party of No will bring the dysfunctional chamber to a virtual standstill.

Comments

Whoa….where is all this “tea party” stuff coming from? Seems that you folks have latched onto a gross over-simplification here….Independent voters (like me) aren’t “tea-baggers”…we’re just ordinary working people who are tired of the unresponsiveness of our elected officials. Here in MA, where Dems outnumber Repubs 3 to1, Dem candidates have taken their election chances for granted, and have arrogantly ignored any voices except their own. 51% of MA voters (all parties) OPPOSE the current health care bill; 61% say that Washington can’t afford this bill. And every day, we hear of another back-room deal to “persuade” another dissenting Congressman to vote for this legislation after he gets his “cut” at the expense of our state. Then Coakley, under pressure, runs to DC for a $10K per head fundraiser attended by big health insurance and drug companies….why do you think we are upset? DO we want and need GOOD healthcare? Hell, yes!!! Will this bill produce it? Hell, NO!!! And if it takes a Repub senator from MA to stop it, we’ll send him to DC to do just that. I don’t drink tea, or Kool-Aid; I want fairness, openness and fiscal responsibility. Coakley promises NONE of that. I’ll take my chances with Brown. Blame political deafness, not some make-believe bogeyman.

Ayn Rand expressed views of people and how they function, both as herd members and individuals, showing a preference for individual freedom. America was founded on individual freedom, simply because there was no other choice at the time to follow the Old World herd model. Our Founding Fathers gave us a definition of what Americans created, then a system to keep it going. We had three constitutions to define the limits of the national system, as we kept our individual governance close, starting between the ears and in the heart up to the County level that was supposed to be no further than a days horseback ride. In the 21st century, our elected representatives took an Oath to keep what was established, yet turned on it immediately and trashed it in order to reintroduce the Old World system rejected almost 400 years ago, by force just over 200 years ago. They moved government away from the individual to a distant city and founded it as the center of organized crime, as if it were just an extension of Haiti. Then, they picked our pockets and destroyed our economy. Claysamerica.com

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